If you have a TV with Android TV or Google TV, YouTube will be standard among the operating system applications and on a personal note, I appreciate it: it’s great for me to see a fragment, recipes, follow a tutorial or to leave it as background music. But There’s something about Google’s video platform that I don’t like at all.: The advertisement.
There’s a simple solution: sign up for YouTube Premium. However, it is quite difficult for me to add an additional fixed expense in the form of a subscription, especially because my usage differs quite a bit from month to month. Fortunately, I found another alternative: a free Open Source application to continue watching YouTube without advertising.
YouTube is great, but it’s full of ads
Go ahead and there are a few alternative apps to get rid of YouTube advertising, like NewPipe for Android phones and tablets. What about Android TV? It is not available, but SmartTubeNext is, so be careful, not only will you see the videos without advertising but you will also see keeps you favorites, playlists and subscriptions.
In short, on my smart TV I have YouTube and an alternative application to that one and yes, it makes all the sense in the world If what you are looking for is to improve the experience.
How to download and use SmartTubeNext
I already told you SmartTubeNext It is not available on Google Play Store, so installing it requires a little more work, but not much: you need to download its APK on an Android phone from its Github page and from there launch it on the TV with a specific app installed on your phone like when installing it. initial device download (we used a mobile phone as an example, but it could be a tablet or PC), something you can do with Send Files to TV or using management apps of files for Android TV like TV File Commander. Another alternative: download it directly to the TV with a browser for Android TV.
Important: To install applications on your TV that are not in the official Google application store, it is essential to first activate the permission to install applications from unknown sources, which you can do from from the settings (the gear icon), following the following path: “System” > “Information” > “Android TV OS Build”, where you will need to activate the developer options by pressing several times. Then go back to Settings and in “Apps” > “Security & Restrictions” > “Unknown Sources”, grant the appropriate permission to install apps outside the Google Play Store.
Once the application is finally installed, there is no longer much mystery thanks to its intuitive interface perfectly adapted to the televisionwhich actually reminds us of the original, as you can see below these lines:
Because he has the main features of YouTube: cards for generously sized videos, a side menu with categories, recommendations and lists, the magnifying glass for searches… it also allows you to log in with your Google account, so you also have within reach of main what you follow on the official platform, including history.
Actually, once in your account, everything you do is recorded like on YouTube and you can see it both on the original platform and on SmartTube. Finally, you will also be able to configure aspects such as playback quality and speed, subtitles or movement within the video. Come on, the best of YouTube but without advertising.
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